The strategic location of present-day Manila along the bay was an ideal location for the Tagalog and Kapampangan people to trade with merchants from China, India, and Indonesia.

In the mid-16th century, the area were ruled by native rajahs. Rajah Matanda and his nephew, Rajah Sulayman ruled the Muslim communities south of the Pasig River, including the Kingdom of Maynila, while Rajah Lakandula reigned the Kingdom of Tondo north of the river, until the arrival of Spanish colonizers in the 16th century. With the Spanish came Catholic missionaries, they established the Diocese of Manila in 1579.

Today Manila is one of the sixteen cities which make up Metro Manila, known as the National Capital Region. The metropolis is bordered to the west by Manila Bay, a natural harbor, to the east by Laguna de Bay (light blue, the largest lake in the Philippines). Lake Taal (Lake Bombon (dark blue)), with its complex volcanic system lies to the south.

Today Manila has a city population of more than 1.78 million inhabitants (census 2015), more then 12.87 million people live in the metropolitan area (the National Capital Region).
Spoken languages are Filipino and English.

Largest city in Metro Manila, in population and land area is Quezon City, one of the former capitals of the Philippines (1948-1976).

Manila Points of Interest

Basílica Menor de San Sebastián at Plaza del Carmen in Quiapo, Manila, it is the only all-steel church in Asia.Image: Jhun80

The historic core of the city and its oldest district is Intramuros (Spanish, "within the walls"), the Walled City in the heart of Manila. To protect the city from foreign invasions the Spanish colonial government constructed the defensive walls between 1590 and 1593. The construction included Fort Santiago, a defense fortress. The first fort was destroyed by Chinese pirates who invaded the city in 1574.

San Agustin Church, constructed between 1586 and 1607 within Intramuros, it is one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines, that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Quiapo Church (Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo).

Rizal Park, better known as Luneta, one of the largest urban parks in Asia, the historical park is located along Roxas Boulevard, adjacent to the old walled city.

Malacañang Palace, official residence of the President of the Philippines.

The National Museum of the Philippines (showcasing Filipino heritage, the National Museum operates the National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, and the National Planetarium). Star City (popular amusement park). Coconut Palace (government building made of coconut lumber and coconut shells).

The map shows a city map of Manila with expressways, main roads and streets, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (IATA code: MNL) is located 12 km (7.5 mi) by road (via R-1) south of Manila.

to pan the map click on the respective arrow on the pan button or click on the map and move your mouse/pointer to drag the map around (pan).

to Zoom in +, or Zoom out – use the zoom buttons; or double click on the map to zoom in.

Map Type Control Buttons;
To switch between various map types click on this buttons:

Click the Map button for a street map, this button holds the option for Terrain, it displays a physical map with topographical details.

Click the Satellite for a satellite image;
with the option to switch Labels (names, borders, roads, business, etc.) on and off, for a combination of satellite image and street map.

The "Pegman" symbol offers the switch to Google's street view, the 360-degree, panoramic street-level imagery.
To enjoy street views, grab pegman with your cursor and hoover over the map, when street view is available parts of the map will change to blue, drop pegman there and you might have a lot of fun within unimaginable boring landscapes.

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